6 Myths of Leadership We Still Get Wrong

Successful leaders have their own personality, their own style, their own approach. They can be as different as day and night.

Think Donald Trump. Then think Mother Teresa.

See what I mean?

Myths of Leadership Uncovered

Some leaders work smarter. Some work harder. But all of them work at it.

Leadership is there for the taking, to one degree or another, for anyone willing to make the effort.

But first, it helps to dispel some common myths of leadership.

Myth #1: Leaders Are Born

Wrong. Leadership is what results from consistently practicing good people skills, which means it can be learned, improved upon and fashioned into excellence.

While it’s true that leadership comes more naturally to some people than others, those folks are in the minority.

Exceptional leaders have worked at it for years, learned from their mistakes and spent countless hours perfecting the art of “making it look easy.”

Myth #2: Leaders Need Titles

Wrong. Being named the CEO of a company or head of a department doesn’t automatically make the person a valued leader.

We all know at least one person in a leadership role who did more to demotivate than to inspire. Managers are promoted by the people above them. Leaders are “promoted” by the people under them.

Myth #3: Leaders Need Charisma

Wrong. Having an outgoing, engaging, confident and dynamic personality might help you feel good about yourself. But it doesn’t necessarily win the hearts and minds of others.

While those traits are useful, so are many others. In fact, almost any personality type can be an effective leader. What leaders have in common is a commitment to grow the people around them to be successful, too. Leaders don’t create followers. They create more leaders.

Myth #4: Management Is Leadership

Ugh. Leadership and management can go hand in hand, but they are very different. Managers plan, budget, organize and staff. They control the problem-solving mechanisms.

Leaders go a step further by creating the vision, communicating and setting direction, and motivating and aligning the people they lead.

Myth #5: Your Leadership Style Works

Here’s the good news. Your leadership style will work — with one, maybe two, employees. That’s because they respond well to the way you lead. You connect in the right ways.

But the best leaders know they can’t use the same style of management with every employee in their fold.

To create more of a level playing field, effective leaders work at establishing rapport with every employee in a way that it works for the employee. From there, they try to adapt their management style to the strengths and weaknesses of each employee.

Myth #6: The Best Leaders Rise to the Top

This is one of the most unfortunate myths of leadership. Many people who aren’t qualified — who aren’t actually good leaders — rise up for reasons other than their qualifications. It’s called the Peter Principle — and it’s as true today as it was when it was coined in the 1969 book by that name.

Some leaders get and stay ahead because they were promoted to a level of incompetence. They hit a level where they are no longer qualified to perform their job duties, but the company doesn’t know what to do with them.

Better leaders don’t let it happen because they constantly look for ways to broaden their knowledge and sharpen their skills. 

What Makes Great Leaders?

Now that we know the myths behind leadership, let’s see what makes leadership work. According to research from Gallup, great leaders have the following talents:

• They motivate every single employee to take action and engage employees with a compelling mission and vision.
• They have the assertiveness to drive outcomes and the ability to overcome adversity and resistance.
• They create a culture of clear accountability.
• They build relationships that create trust, open dialogue and full transparency.
• They make decisions based on productivity, not politics.